Traffic information : Acapela gives drivers traffic updates on the French roads.

The CIR have confirmed their satisfaction with Acapela technology by adopting "Claire", the High Quality French voice developed by Acapela. Integrated into the Audiotex system, the speech synthesis offers a homogenous service nationwide, improved reactivity, and easier listening for the end users. The CNIR (National centre of traffic information) receives information from the different police forces, and the road works employees. This data arrives continuously at the 7 regional information centres where it is entered into the computerized system. Traffic specialists then analyze the reported situations and write out a warning to be sent to the media and the general public.

Before the Audiotex system was redesigned, and speech technology included, the updates were done over the phone, resulting in a mix of accents and voices, and a lengthy complicated procedure that limited the service to a regional broadcast.

Now, every regional information centre enters the text via a computer terminal, and Acapela's speech synthesis does the rest, turning the information into spoken messages that are then sent to a voice server hosted by Jet Multimedia.

This central database provides information for the Bison Futé services, including the website and the Audiotex service, available over the phone all over France. The resulting service, a pioneer in Europe, can offer national traffic information in real time.

More information at www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr